Effective learning is the 21st century super skill. Here’s why:

1. The future belongs to those who can learn new things easily

It is a future we cannot even possibly fathom today - and yet we insist on preparing our children for it. We spend 14 years arming them with a static curriculum, but not the skills needed to understand and apply knowledge effectively. That’s like going into battle half prepared.

2. Insights, not information, will matter in the information age

The knowledge base in society is doubling every 3-5 years! It used to double every 25 years in 1945. 80% of the jobs our children will take up do not exist today. They haven't been invented yet. Information can easily be supplied by AI, Siri, Alexa and our friend Google. 

Can our children join the dots across diverse information to make smarter decisions than others? 

3. Effective learning is the new evolution

Education may end after school or college, but in life, the need to learn new things will never end- it’s those who refuse to or are unable to do so effectively, who will struggle. For the first time in history, machines are not replacing human brawn - they are entering the zone of replacing human brains.

Acing exams today is no validation that they have the skills to think and work smart in a dynamic and challenging environment  tomorrow.

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To succeed in this new world, students need to develop the 6 abilities of effective learners, which I’ve detailed here, but am recapping here for you:

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Comprehend: the ability to grasp the meaning of material.

Apply: the ability to use learned material in new and concrete situations

Analyze: the ability to break down material into parts, understand how it has been constructed, on what assumptions its based, what are the relations between the parts and the external world, why does it matter

Synthesize:  ability to put the parts together in new ways to form a new whole/ new knowledge or theories

Evaluate: the ability to judge the value of material at a factual level and judgment level, based on internal and external criteria 

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Start by creating a unique effective learning strategy

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There is no formula to turn your child into an effective learner, but you can help them build and evolve their own unique learning strategy with this framework, where we’ve captured all the components and aspects you need to consider, in one handy infographic. Scroll down to download this in PDF format.

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For a PDF version of this infographic, click on the icon below.

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Read next:

The Polymath Parenting Ultimate Guide Series is designed for parents to help their early learners, tweens and teens become the most effective learners they can be! 

Get them all here:

Guide to effective learning techniques

Guide to effective learning styles

Guide to effective learning skills

Guide to a growth learning mindset

Guide to creating a positive learning environment at home

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